Am I crazy for wanting to downgrade to QS?

[McFlea]

We're booked at POR with free regular dining but wish we could get quick service. I don't get why they don't allow this
I don't want to spend time at TS meals, I'll miss the 2nd snack and the mug.
Do I sound like a whiner? I'm sure many people would love to have the free dining plan and here I am complaining about it.
Can you help me be happy about the regular plan??

 

[Seriously71]

We are staying at POFQ Jan 2011 and I too wish we could have QS! We will also miss the second snack and the mug. On the up side, this will be our first time on the regular dining plan so we are looking forward to the new experience! Have a fun trip!

 

[BrerMama]

Another who wishes I could choose to downgrade. It would work better for my family. We'll make the regular dining plan work, though.

 

[disney1990]

This is the reason we are booked at Pop Century and not Port Orleans-Riverside (DH's favorite resort). We are going during Food and Wine and I really want each of us to have 2 snack options a day. And not have to spend each day sitting in a sit down restaurant. Disney lost on us because we would have paid the extra to stay at a moderate is we could have still had Quick Service.

 

[DisneyTravelers2008]

Here are my thoughts---

Table service food is MUCH better than Quick Service food.

Character dining is great fun and you get to interact w/ the character w/ out waiting in line.

Table Service gives you time to rest and relax so you can enjoy your whole day more and not get so worn out. We dont leave the parks much during the day So... we plan looong lunches or early dinners to rest and relax. And , even if the park closes at 7 pm, you can usually make a ressie for 7:30 or so so you wont miss "park time".

You can also do things like California Grill and see the fireworks while you eat dinner. ( But this place is 2 credits...)


Another thought is that you can do dining or even character dining at non park restaurnat places if you are not entering parks one day...ie...the beginning or end of your trip. We think it is lots of fun to start or end the trip w/ Chef Mickey or Ohana.

If you want to try lots of things at Epcot's F& W, you come out better paying out of pocket for that....

Does this help??? Have fun!

 

[CindyCharming]

I don't think you are crazy! We actually didn't book bounceback last year because of that. We waited until free dining went available to the public and booked Pop with the quick service plan.

But you want to be happy about the regular dining plan so I will say we did book one meal at the Crystal Palace because we always like to go there. And I would have liked to book Biergarten because my daughter loves to dance there and it makes me smile, but we're just eh about the food so I don't want to spend my own money. In fact, there are quite a few restaurants we enjoy going to but don't like them enough to pay out of pocket so the free regular dining plan is great for that.

So enjoy all that free food and have a great vacation!

 

[summerlady]

If you're crazy, then so am I! We've used the QSDP twice before and prefer it over the DDP. I booked back in April with a room discount PIN, QSDP, and was going to pay OOP for a couple of TS dinners, but when FD was offered, I jumped on it. It was a matter of saving $840 on FD or the room discount of $340 at POFQ. I really don't want to switch resorts and stay at a value because I POFQ, so that's it.

 

[KELLY]

Well if you are I am more crazy. We booked bounceback at pop with the regular DP. UPgraded our resort to CBR. Then when the QSDP was announced for the values I called up and swiched back to pop to get the QSDP but they had to change the promo on my package for me to get it. The cm thought I was a nut. We like pop so it wasn't a big deal. But we would have stayed mod if this was a option. We looked at doing a room only moderate adding tickets and QSDP but it was 1000.00 more than our pop reservation.

We are going for 10 days. We are paying op for T-rex, Rainforest and Garden Grill.

 

[Sandisw]

I don't understand it either. Maybe those that think it should be an option should let Disney know that they would love that option.

Just as the one CM thought it was strangefor a guest to downgrade, maybe Disney figured that most would not want to downgrade and never thought to offer it that way.

Out of the two dining plans, I do prefer the QSDP. However, after our summer trip this year, we decided we will no longer do them as they just don't fit our eating habits and we are just too full and wasting food. Plus, when it is 100+ heat index, you just do not feel like walking around the park feeling like a stuffed shrimp.

 

[Brooknwdw]

I thought the TS credits COULD be used at QS places if a person just wanted to, am I wrong?

 

[catne]

I thought the TS credits COULD be used at QS places if a person just wanted to, am I wrong?

the general answer to this is -sometimes-. The regular dining plan does not actually list this as an option in the brochure and there are numerous reports of people being turned down. On the Deluxe, the credits are all just "meal credits" so you can use them at either, but on the regular dining plan the credits are actually divided between table service credits & counter service credits and not really meant to be interchangeable. We have actually been in line behind people being turned down at counter service...we overheard the people running the cash register flat-out telling people "the system" would not allow them to ring up a table service credit on their register. Now, have also seen people at resorts being allowed to use a table credit at the resort counter service. And have seen many reports of that being allowed at the resorts. So it appears that sometimes it is allowed, and seems to be more available at the resorts.

During the main free dining promo (Aug-Sept.) for the past 3 years they have allowed the substitution everywhere. Even had signs up about it. Two years ago, they even offered extras when you traded down (either extra snack or a freebee like a tote-bag.) But last year, they changed it to just a straight trade, one-for-one.

 

[minniebeth]

Hmm...if I were staying at POR, I'd probably want the QSDP option as well, they have a great foodcourt with lots of good options and you have great CS options in DTD, so easy to get to from where you are at. But the same goes for TS in DTD...you have some good options there for TS too that's easy to get to. Plus you have the Turf Club option at Saratoga Springs close by, a place that gets good reviews but not a lot of hype.

I would use your TS options for places you have never gone to, to try new things. You never know when you will discover a favorite. Share your CS meals, there's plenty of food to do that, so you can try new options for that too!

I still think the refillable mug is worth buying, we always get our money's worth out of it, but it is nice to get it along with the QS plan.

Enjoy!

 

[cluvsdisney]

Have you tried pricing out your vacation at POR using some discount and purchasing the QSDP for your family? There might not be that much of a difference.

I'm not really sure what's not to like about having TS meals. It gives everyone a chance to sit someplace a little quieter and talk about the day you had or the day you are about to have. They don't need to take up that much time.

 

[McFlea]

Thank you all! It worked, I'm feeling better. We'll have a great time trying new places and enjoying some extra character meals. I also love the idea of sharing some quick service - I hadn't thought of that, but it's a great way to spread out some meals if necessary.
Now, onto another foreign territory for me...ADRs

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

Yes, we are in the QS camp too. After having the regular one the lsat 2 trips the kids begged me not to do it again, they didn't like the waiting and sitting. BUT, since you haven't done it before it will be fun to try new places, we did enjoy it when we had it.

 

[ilovepete]

Well I wish we could trade! I paid to upgrade mine.

 

[Cierese]

You arent' crazy AT ALL!! All my friends think I'm crazy because I personally think its easier to go with QS. First, you don't have to make reservations. 2. You don't have to eat at a certain time (what if you're not hungry). 3. You don't have to plan your days around FOOD.

I like QS because we can just eat when the kids are hungry instead of telling a 5yr old 'sorry, we have to wait another hour til our reservation' Or drop everything you are doing because you have to make it somewhere to eat at a certain time.

I was also thinking... I think you get more food with QS and that's important for me.. I have a son going through puberty!! AAAHHH!!!!

My only draw back is that I really wish we could trade 2 QS for 1 TS. My kids would like to do one sit down but I don't want to pay extra knowing we will most likely have meal credits left over!

We are staying 7 nights but only doing 5 days in park and one day visiting family/beach... last day we are leaving super early (12-14hr drive). So if we could trade that last day's worth of credits, I'd be super happy!!

 

[jm-mom]

We were on free dining in december on the regular meal lan. On some days we just didn't feel like the food we'd booked a reservation for or our schedule changed and we weren't anywhere near our pre-booked restaurant. The concierge at POFQ told us it was entirely up to the management at ever counter service as to whether they'd take table service credits. We were able to get a standard quick service meal using table service credits at many places and did so often at thr Port Orleans food courts. I'm not sure if this is a common every day allowance or just during free dining but that was our experience.

 

[KELLY]

Wow this thread is old. After using the QSDP last year I can say. We are doing it again. We loved it. I didn't know how much we were going to like it. But it made everything so much easier for us. We have 2 adr's for our 10 day stay again.

 

[tinkerpea]

Hi All, I wont say wether your crazy or not.....I have 3 boys ranging from 5 -8 and have to say we adore the DDP, as our children are still at the charecter loving stage and so we always have to make sure that we do charecter dining which really adds up! I tell you what i do do though,I split my kids lunch as its 2 big and you can get a Adult meal at QS for the same credit as a Childs (not sure if you know that) we dindt till somebody told us! which means we then split another 1 for Breakfast that way we dont use our snacks and since QS Breakfast meals still come with a side or 2 drinks we dont spend anything at all on breakfast hence saving us money!!!! we then book the tanle service meals that would mean alot to us to keep, and make bk up ones for the days we are not sure what to do on, aslong as you cancel these in the morning freeing it up for somebody else then you can eat where ever again! Or if you choose to eat at a diffrent place then let your server know and they will inform the place you booked to eat at and cancel it for you!
If like me you like your snacks for taking home presents you can change every TS for 2 snack points at the end or at anytime of your vacation and you can at your resort use 1 QS for 1 snack They do only do this at your hotel though as we soon found out! also at your resort if your tired out and domnt want to go bk to a park to eat They will change your TS, for a QS i really do find though that always oredering a Adult QS and splitting it can free up some spare QS for you for when you need them and save you money aswell as mentioned for breakfast, since the sides you can get are Big bowls of fruit Yoghurts Muffins fresh Bakes etc or the 2 drinks then you are not spending all your Snack points on drinks!
I have paid for the DDP once and had it free another, and when not getting it at all for many yrs! it cost me at least 1500 pounds to feed my family of 6!!!!

I hope that i may have helped excite some of you and helped to see their is a way around not having to keep sticking with TS meals! and also It brought alot of Charecter opps and Beautiful dinners opps that i prob would never have paid for!

have fun and enjoy the food! P.s we always buy the mugs too we just dont get 1 each we get 1 to share for the boys and 1 each for us, since you can only ever use them in the Resort anyways